DNF Review: Maybe This Time by A.M. Arthur

As a regular at gay hotspot Pot O Gold, Ezra Kelley avoids his tangled emotions with the simplicity of one-night stands and attachment-free hookups. Until the night bartender Donner Davis picks him up off the floor after a misunderstanding and too much tequila. Ezra can’t remember the last time someone was…nice. It’s more than he deserves.

Witnessing his lover’s death two years ago has Donner trapped in a holding pattern�living in his sister’s basement, working at the Pot and flirting with the customers. He’s not above spending a night with the gorgeous Ezra, but love is not in the cards. That’s more than he’s ready for.

A passionate night leads to a connection neither man expects, and they take the first steps to something that looks like a real relationship. But Ezra’s been running from himself so long he doesn’t know how to live any other way. And Donner can’t risk his heart just to lose everything again. They’ll both need the strength to let go of the past if they want to get it right this time.

61,000 words

M/M Romance

My Review:

I read 80% of this book about a week ago and I’m already having a hell of a time remembering all that much about it. That’s one of the reasons why I DNF’d this book. I remember the first half being pretty good. I liked the characters and the plot line. I remember being a big fan of Ezra and really confused over Donner’s name (I’m sorry – you can only do so many reindeer jokes in a book.) Other than that, though, there was nothing overly memorable about this book.

The scenes between Ezra and Donner were hot, but I also felt that they were rather rushed. I would have liked to see more of a chase going on rather than the insta love theme that dominated the book. I also would have liked to see more realism to their relationship. Whether that be through more bickering, more romantic gestures, or simple domestic stuff that occupies the day to day life, it doesn’t matter. Their relationship seemed very fake compared to a real life romance.

The book started to go off beat once Ezra and Donner decided they were in love with each other after no time at all. All of the emotions seemed exaggerated and enhanced for the readers and totally unrealistic. I also felt like there were several chunks of the author speaking rather than the characters speaking. It seemed as if the author’s own views on gay rights were sort of being forced throughout the entire book and it wasn’t leaving a lot of room for character development or personalities. Don’t get me wrong, I’m 100% for gay rights, but it did feel as if the author was trying to for that message through several of the characters.

Overall, there’s not much to say about this book because there’s a large chunk that I just don’t remember. If the second half would have been as good as the first half, then I probably would have given it like a 3 or 4 star. However, the second half was really bland and weird and I just couldn’t finish that last 20% of the book.